The Compliant College Classroom

As the new academic year approaches, I have put the final touches on my syllabi for the fall courses. I also looked back at a syllabus of the first course I had taught as a professor in 2001—a freshman general education class in political theory. The syllabus consisted of two, typed single-spaced pages. The first page described the course, listed the readings, explained the assignments, and posted the mandatory student disability notice. The second page was a week-by-week account of what we aspired to study during the semester.